Southern California -- this just in

L.A. Unified teachers will no longer be laid off strictly based on seniority

October 5, 2010 | 4:51
pm

The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday approved what would be a landmark settlement that radically departs from the traditional practice of laying off teachers strictly on the basis of seniority. The agreement would cap the number of those dismissals at virtually all schools in the nation's second largest district.

The legal pact, approved after a lengthy closed session, also would eliminate layoffs at 45 new or struggling schools, many of which have disruptive turnover rates from layoffs.

The proposed settlement, which requires approval by a judge, lays out one of the most sweeping reforms to teacher layoffs in the nation's school districts, which generally follow a "last hired, first fired" approach.